Grammy-winning singer and megachurch pastor Donnie McClurkin is named in a new lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court. A man claims that the well-known preacher sexually abused him over a long period of time. The man says McClurkin pretended to be his mentor and helped him “pray away” his sexuality.
The accuser, Giuseppe Corletto, says he first reached out to McClurkin in 2003 when he was only 21 years old. He was struggling a lot with his feelings about his sexuality and really needed spiritual help.
Corletto was inspired by McClurkin’s story, which he read in McClurkin’s book *Eternal Victim, Eternal Victor*. In the book, McClurkin talked about how God helped him deal with what he called the “curse” of being gay.
Corletto says he met McClurkin at a church event in Long Island where McClurkin shared about being sexually abused as a child. That moment made Corletto feel like someone finally understood him. After the event, Corletto was taken aside to meet McClurkin privately. What Corletto thought was kindness, he now says, was actually something much worse.
Corletto has said, “At first it felt like mentoring. Now I believe I was being groomed.”The lawsuit says that McClurkin started touching Corletto during private sessions called “pray the gay away.” The abuse got worse over time. Corletto later became McClurkin’s assistant and traveled with him for church work. He says the abuse continued even while on the road.One of the most alarming parts of the case is an alleged attack that happened in a hotel in Niagara Falls in 2013. After that, Corletto says McClurkin sent him an email apologizing. The email, which is part of the lawsuit, has McClurkin calling himself a “dirty ‘old man'” and admitting he tried to push Corletto into something Corletto had said no to repeatedly.
For Corletto, that email became proof that what he went through was real.”I didn’t make this up. I wasn’t crazy,” he said. “I felt vindicated.”The lawsuit shows a scary picture of manipulation inside the church.
Corletto says Donnie McClurkin used scripture to make him feel guilty into staying quiet, comparing their relationship to biblical mentor and student figures. He says he tried several times to quit his job but was pulled back in by spiritual pressure and emotional control.
The alleged abuse, according to the lawsuit, even happened at McClurkin’s own church. Corletto claims the pastor would touch him secretly just before going out to preach, leaving him shaken and in tears during services. Those tears, he says, were then used by McClurkin to get emotional reactions from the congregation. The impact on Corletto’s life was very bad. He says he became depressed, suicidal, and full of shame. He eventually left the church in 2008, but says McClurkin kept chasing him for years. It wasn’t until recently, when he found the apologetic email again, that he decided to speak out publicly.
McClurkin’s lawyer, Greg Lisi, has strongly denied the allegations, calling them “categorically false.” Lisi said in a statement that McClurkin never engaged in sexual abuse, assault, or coercion and that the claims “grossly mischaracterize” their interactions from decades ago. Still, the lawsuit has already caused big reactions in gospel and religious communities.
Donnie McClurkin, now 66, is one of the biggest names in gospel music, with three Grammy Awards and millions of albums sold. His career was famously boosted after Oprah Winfrey named his album one of her “Favorite Things.” He has also been controversial for his strong opinions on homosexuality, repeatedly saying it can be overcome through faith.
Corletto says he once believed that message completely. Today, he says he has rebuilt his life. He is married, no longer suicidal, and finally at peace with who he is.”I lost my religion and my community,” he said. “But I found myself, my family, and my peace.” As this case moves forward under New York’s Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law, the allegations threaten to permanently change the legacy of one of gospel music’s most powerful figures.